


No Place Like Home

by ExcellentlyEllen



Series: Oh My God, It's A Gilmore (- Huntzberger) [1]
Category: Gilmore Girls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-09-29
Packaged: 2018-02-12 17:31:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2118618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExcellentlyEllen/pseuds/ExcellentlyEllen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There really is no place like home, especially with a 3 year old in tow...<br/>Or, How Rory and Logan have a son, he's never met...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tell The World That I'm Coming Home

**PROLOGUE**

There are some things in life, Lorelai Leigh Gilmore absolutely detested. Mornings without coffee, long bus trips with no bathroom breaks, vegetables or fruit that wasn't dipped in chocolate. But there was one thing she hated above all else. One thing she just found herself smack in the middle of.

"No mother, I do not expect you to be fine with this. Because this is none of your damn business! She's my daughter, and I will not just stand by and watch you tear her apart because of this. This is _her_ choice and hers alone. And if you don't like it, well then, I guess we'll be out of your hair now." Lorelai stopped to take a breath, after her longwinded ramble. A furious scowl directed towards the elder Gilmore woman. Who –as it so happens – was wearing an almost carbon copy look of the one her daughter was giving her.

Friday night dinners had been going well, up until the time the Lorelais decided to drop some bombs on the Gilmores. The first one had been the divorce between Lorelai and Christopher. Although divorce was a strong word, since their marriage wasn't even legal in the US. Lorelai hadn't been happy, and found it to be a relief when she found out about the marriage status. Christopher and Gigi had moved back to Boston, and that was that. Except that it wasn't. Because Emily really didn't want to drop it.

"This is like this thing with you and Christopher all over again. What is it with you two and turning down marriage proposals from decent, good, hard-working men. I swear to god sometimes I think we don't share any genes at all!" Emily yelled at them, angrily glaring between her daughter and granddaughter. "First you come and tell me your marriage to Christopher isn't legal and that you aren't going to marry him for real. And now you come here and tell me you" she pointed an accusing finger towards Rory "refused to marry Logan Huntzberger, even though you've been happy for the past 3 years! I just don't understand you!"

Emily threw her hands up in the air and dropped herself down into the ottoman that was standing in the foyer. A sudden silence fell over the house, as three generations of Gilmore Girls were staring at each other. And, even though she hated, absolutely hated to see her mother and grandmother fight – about anything and _everything_ – she never liked to get in between them when they did. It never really worked out well for her, and she found that self-preservation was key in the Gilmore household.

But this was Rory's mess, and she would have to be the one to fix it. "No grandma. That's not how it went. I just, I asked for time. I don't want to have to give up my career in order to be Mrs. Huntzberger. I've got dreams and ambitions. Things that do not work well with being a socialite wife. And he wouldn't wait. He said it was now or never. And I just couldn't choose now, so he chose never." A silent tear rolled down her cheek, and she had to try her very best to not let any more slip out. She loved Logan, with all her heart. But the expectations of being his wife, those were things she just couldn't conform to. At least not at her age. That's what had compelled her to say 'not yet'. She never imagined he would reply with 'not ever' and walk away from her.

She let her head drop on her mother's shoulder, for comfort and to hide the other tears that were welling up in her eyes. Lorelai draped her arm around her shoulder and whispered "come on Sweets, let's get you home."

Losing Logan was hard on Rory. He was the love of her life. He was the Yin to her Yang, made her serious nature a little more fun, just by being there. And while he wasn't perfect, not even by a long shot, he was the perfect fit for her. She let her tears run freely the moment she stepped into her quiet little room, dropping down on her bed and wondering how she got to that place.

She stayed in her room for days on end, only coming out to go to the bathroom and to grab some of the food Luke kept leaving her.

When she found herself eating the apple-slices he put in the bag (though he never expected either of them to actually eat them) she got worried. A trip to the Woodbury pharmacy and some time spent in the bathroom, confirmed her fears. And changed the course of her life, permanently.

* * *

"Mom!" a voice yelled across the airport, the only warning Lorelai Gilmore had before she was practically tackled by her daughter and grandson. The threesome hugged each other so tight, they looked like one huge person. After a few moments, Lorelai pushed her daughter a little further form her chest. "Let me look at you, my beautiful offspring. And at you, beautiful offspring of my offspring." She said it with a fondness in her voice, one she reserved specially for those people closest to her heart.

Rory put down the little boy, and Lorelai crouched down to look him in the eyes. His startlingly green eyes looked up shyly at her and he quickly hid behind his mommy's legs. Rory turned around and gently pushed him forward again. "C'mon Logan honey, why don't you say hi to Nonna. You do remember her, right?" The boy nodded hesitantly and waved his little hand at Lorelai. She beamed a brilliant smile at him and stood up, directing her next words to her daughter. "I can't believe he's so big already. Seems to me like it was just yesterday when he was still trying to figure out how to lift his little head. You did a wonderful job with your kid, kid. But I sure am glad you're back in the US."

Rory smiled at her mother and her son, realizing how lucky she was with having both of them. "I know, he amazes me every day. And I'm glad to be home to, mom. I loved Italy, but with Logan being ready for pre-school, I just figured it would be better for him in the States." She grabbed hold of her bags and said to her son: "Honey, you grab Nonna's hand and we'll go home." She started walking but stopped all of a sudden. "Mom, where's Luke? And Ethan?" Her mom chuckled a little. "You know how the grump is, he hates crowds and he hates showing public affection. He's waiting in the car, so he can cry like a girl without all of JFK seeing it. And Ethan is with Sookie, she said it made no difference if she was watching 3 kids or 4. And it's not like he'll be much trouble anyway, he can barely walk." She snorts a little at her own joke, that boy is lightning fast. "Besides, he doesn't like long car rides; which is totally weird, because _every_ kid likes that. He's so much like his dad, it isn't even funny."

They made their way out of the airport, little Logan clutching Lorelai's hand like it would save his life. Which it might, seeing how busy it was at the pick-up zone. People were bustling about the place, running and screaming. That, combined with the smell of gasoline and the 9 hour flight gave Rory a nasty headache. But when she saw Luke, her face lit up like a Christmas tree, and she ran into the arms of the man who had been the only father figure she'd known in her life. "Luke! I'm so glad to see you! I've missed you so much!" That earned her a comment from her mom, about not being missed, but she ignored it in favor of the man standing before her. He still looked like the Luke he'd been before she left. Jeans, flannel shirt and backwards baseball cap, the smell of pancakes hanging in the air. That, more than anything, made her feel like she was home. "Zio!" Came a small voice from behind Rory's back, and she nearly got bowled over by her son, running towards Luke. Rory was happy with the bond her son and Luke shared, even if they hadn't seen each other much recently. She heard her mother mutter something about being under-appreciated and Luke bribing kids with pancakes, but she didn't really pay attention to her.

She wasn't really paying attention to anything around her anymore. Her eyes focusing on a familiar blond head in the crowd. As if he knew she was staring at him, he turned. The look on his face flashed a lot of emotions, sadness, guilt, anger before settling in practiced indifference. Rory got pulled out of her reverie when her son yelled "Mommy! Pancake time!" and jumped up into her arms. One last look towards him, revealed a questioning look in his eyes, and then she was in the car driving home.

The whole town had gathered around Luke's Diner when they arrived back in Stars Hollow. It never ceased to amaze Rory how much this town cared. Oh sure, they loved to gossip about each other and they fought at times. But when push came to shove, this town was like one big, happy, dysfunctional family. All eager to watch the prodigal daughter return home, where she belonged.

Her job had taken her away from her home for over a year, but the whole town looked exactly the same as when she left it. Right down to the newspapers in the stands. She stifled a giggle, because, nowhere else but Stars Hollow. They actually tried to stop time, as much as they were able to, to prove to her the town was nothing without the other half of their favorite Gilmore Girls. Taylor made a speech, because that's what Taylor did. She got happy hugs from every single member of the town, including the town troubadour. Kirk even tried to pull a 'Dopey' and sneak in the line a second time. When she got to Lane, she let out a high-pitched squeak and pulled her best friend in so tight, she nearly squashed the little boy she was holding. "Lane, Steve… or is it Kwan?" she looked at Lane in question. "Steve" she nodded. "Lane, Steve I'm so happy to see you! Logan, come meet Steve." Even though they had met before, their cribs often shared with each other, Rory was sure her son wouldn't remember that far back in time. Because, let's face it, Steve wasn't helped by the lingering smells of pancakes.

The boys thankfully hit it off right away, and when Kwan joined them with Zack, they happily played with their toy cars in front of the gazebo. Ethan joined them a little later, and the four boys were best friends by the time the pancakes were ready. With everybody giving their welcomes over, and Rory and Logan sufficiently stuffed with pancakes, they went upstairs. And there Rory found the first change in her hometown in forever.

The upstairs apartment, long treasured by Luke, and sort-of despised by her mother, was unrecognizable. The space was split into different rooms. 1 main room with a small kitchen/living room and 4 doors leading into it. One was the door they were standing in, 2 small but adequate bedrooms and one she assumed to be the bathroom.

The look in her eyes was well worth all the effort Luke had put into this place. He'd moved in with Lorelai when they had given their relationship it's second – well, actually third – shot. Rory and Logan had stayed in the apartment before they'd left for Italy, but it had been just as Luke left it. Now that she was home, and going to stay home, he'd figured he'd do something special to it. She was his family after all, and his father would have approved.

"Luke, you didn't have to do this. It's beautiful." Rory put Logan down and went over to hug Luke. "Well, I just did the building, your mother made it look like this really." He was never really comfortable with compliments, but he deserved them none the less. "Thank you. Both of you." She said honestly and from her heart.

Rory spent the rest of the night unpacking the stuff she'd brought with her from Italy. It wasn't all that much, some clothes and other small knickknacks. She let her gaze wander around the main room and stopped at the bookshelves. They practically took up an entire wall, filled to the brim with her books. It gave her the comfort and strength she needed to make a very important phone call.

* * *

TWO DAYS LATER

Rory found herself sitting in a little coffee shop in Hartford, nervously picking apart the napkin she'd received with her bearclaw and her coffee. Her legs were crossed and her foot was bouncing up and down, earning her angry looks from the table beside her. She uncrossed her legs and planted both feet firmly on the ground, hoping it would help with the nervous twitching she was doing. Her mom, Luke, Ethan and Logan were out shopping for stuff the boys would need when attending pre-school, and maybe some new – Connecticut appropriate – clothing. They'd visited Grandma and Grandpa earlier in the day, having lunch at their house. Things between Emily and Rory wasn't as light and friendly as it once was, but her Grandfather made up for that in spades. He absolutely adored Logan and Ethan and they loved him with as much gusto.

Still, visiting with her grandparents had set her a little on edge, and she started to wonder if it was such a great idea to meet him now, after that strained lunch. But her internal debating stopped when she saw him open the door and walk in. Her breath caught in her throat again, as her eyes landed on his for the second time since she came home. Nothing else existed except them. Then a chair shuffeling next to her shook her out of the bubble and she watched as he gracefully made his way to her table. He stayed quiet for a few moments, opening and closing his mouth a few times, constantly reconsidering what to start with. In the end he went with something simple but so uniquely theirs.

"Ace… How you been?"

She was at a loss for words. It had been a little over 3 years since she'd last talked to him, since their romance fell apart. But with those 4 words, all the memories came rushing back. The laughs and shenanigans they pulled, the parties they threw and attended, the love they shared. He cleared his throat a few times, giving her time to respond, but she stayed silent her eyes boring a hole in his head.

"Wow Ace, I've never seen you so quiet. And I've watched you sleep, so that's saying something." He tried to joke, to lighten the mood. It didn't work exactly, but it did shake Rory out of her stupor. Unfortunately the first thing that came out of her mouth was not what she planned to say, at least not this early in their conversation.

"We have a son." She blurted it out so fast, Logan wasn't even sure he'd heard her right. But her downcast eyes and nervous picking at her coffee-cup told him otherwise.

"We… we have… we have a _son_?" his voice was barely above a whisper, but the confusion and anger were clear as bells in his tone. "What do you mean, 'we have a son'?" he grew a little agitated because she still wouldn't look him in the eyes again. But then she sighed and looked up. "I mean just what I said. We have a son. His name is Logan Gilmore and he's 2,5 years old. And before you start yelling and throwing stuff around, I would like you to hear me out." He crossed his arms across his chest defiantly but nodded. He'd give her a chance to explain herself, before he ripped her a new one. The story however, didn't make him want to yell at her. Oh, there would be yelling, but directed at an entirely different person.

_Rory found out she was pregnant in a pharmacy bathroom in Woodbury. When she mustered up the courage to tell her mother, she was about 4 weeks along. 6 weeks when she finally told her grandparents. And 8 weeks when she visited the Huntzberger home in Hartford. Mitchum and Sheira all but chased her out of the house. Calling her a liar, and a whole lot worse. Forbidding her to contact Logan, not wanting to tell her where he was. She was not to ruin his very bright future with a child, especially not when he'd finally agreed to take up his place in the company._

_She'd tried his cellphone, Honor's, Colin and Finn's, but nobody wanted to talk to her. Nobody wanted to give her any hints about where he was. And she didn't dare tell them she was pregnant. She knew he was in California but she didn't know where. After a while she gave up, not wanting to risk the wrath of the Huntzbergers. She made a life for herself, and her son. But she told him about his dad. Showed him pictures and shared stories. And even though Logan jr. had never met his daddy, he was totally engrossed with the idea of him._

When Rory finished her story, his anger was directed at his father but that would do him no good. The man had died of a heart attack a few months earlier. Which was one of the reasons Rory thought it was a good time to introduce the Logans. Just when he finally let the words sink in. He had a son… A little boy burst in the coffeeshop screaming "Mommy, mommy look wat Nonna and Zio bought me." While he was proudly holding up a TMNT backpack.

When the little boy turned around, he saw a face he'd never before seen in real life. But he knew perfectly well who it was. He beamed across the table and said simply: "Daddy, do you like my new backpack?"


	2. A Lot Of Truth Is Said

"Daddy, Do you like my new backpack?" The words made Logan choke a little on the sip of latte he'd just had. Rory had just said she'd told the boy about him, but hearing him say 'daddy' .. well that was a whole other ballpark. And not only that, but when he looked at the little one's face, it was like he was looking in a 25 year old mirror. He looked exactly like him, except for the hair which was completely his mothers.

He blinked a few times, not knowing what to say to the toddler in front of him. His eyes found Rory's and there was encouragement in her blue pools. He scraped together all of his courage and said "Wow, that's an awesome backpack little man. I wish I had one just like it, when I was your age." The boy beamed at that, and he turned back to his mother. "Nonna got me some clothes to, with all kinds of crazy pictures on the t-shirts, would you like to see mommy?" Before Rory could answer though, Lorelai stepped in and saved the situation.

"No no munchkin, it's still Nonna time. Let mommy and.." she hesitated a fraction of a second "daddy talk for a while. We'll go sit over there and you can have anything you want from the menu, how's that sound?" Rory could see the internal debate behind her son's eyes, but eventually he relented. "Okay Nonna, I'll sit with you. But can I have extra whipped cream? In Italy I always got extra cream." He hugged Rory's leg, turned around and did the same thing to Logan, before whispering "Daddy, don't worry. I'll be back soon. I'll even share some of my whipped cream." And he ran off, to the table Lorelai and Luke were sitting at.

Rory held her breath when she saw her little guy hug Logan and whisper something. It was a sight she'd hoped she'd see, but she'd hoped it would have been much earlier. Her eyes followed him to the other table before she turned back to Logan. He had a look of wonder and confusion on his face, still looking at his legs, where the boy had hugged him.

"How can he be so open to me, he's never seen me before." He said, incredulously. He just couldn't understand how that little boy treated him like a dad, when he never really was one. Or rather, he'd never had the chance to, thanks to his parents. Rory smiled a little. "He's never seen you before in real life. But he's seen you. In pictures and video's I showed him. He knows you from stories I've told and articles of yours I read to him. And he loves you because I told him you love him very much, even though you weren't with him." She swallowed away the lump in her throat. "I know you wouldn't have left me alone with him, if you'd known. So I told him you were working really hard, so that one day you could spend lots of time together." She ducked down beside the table for a second, and picked up a bag that was standing at her feet. "I kept a diary about him. Wrote in it every day since the day he was born. And when he was old enough, he started dictating what I should write." She pulled out a few notebooks and placed them on the table. "They are for you. I wanted to document everything for you."

He picked up the first book and opened it. The first page was a picture of Rory in a hospital bed, looking tired but proud and happy, holding a little bundle of blanket and baby. He felt all sorts of emotions coursing through him. Love, happiness, pride, desire, longing and also anger. He missed almost 3 years of his son's life, and right then, he wished he hadn't been so stubborn.

"Did you know, when I proposed?" he asked softly. He already knew the answer, but he still wanted her to confirm it. "No, I had suspicions about 2 weeks later, when I started eating apples. Then I did the gross peeing on a stick thingy and after that a blood test. I was pregnant for almost 4 weeks by then." Logan nodded. She would have told him back then, if she'd known. "Logan… That day, when I said 'not now'… I meant it. Just like I said. I was fresh out of college and I wanted to follow my own ambition for a while. I wanted to see the world and write on my own merit. But I would have married you." Logan stayed silent, remembering that awful day he walked away from the best thing that ever happened to him. He'd regretted it as soon as he started walking, but he'd been too stubborn to turn around. And he'd spent over 3 years wishing he'd done just that. They could have been a family, the three of them, together. But he couldn't, wouldn't say that to her now. He was smart enough to know that too much had happened for them to just pick up where they left off. Even though there was nothing he wanted more. But they were both different people now. He was CEO of a major publishing group, working instead of partying. And she was a mom now.

"Why did you go to Italy?" he asked her instead. She shrugged. "My dreams of traveling the world and writing were sort of shot when I got pregnant. Can't do the campaign trail with a baby in tow, you know. So I tried writing all sorts of different things, but didn't really find my place yet. I got hired by a small online paper, to do some fluff pieces and some editing. I did that for over a year, and then they asked me if I wanted to become a correspondent in Europe. It was a stable job, good hours in a beautiful country, so I said yes." Logan pondered that a moment. "Why did you come back?" Rory looked down at her hands for a moment.

"My assignment was wrapping up, but I had an opportunity to stay in Italy and write for a paper there. I was torn between staying there, where Logan and I had built a life together; or moving back to the US for his education. But then my mom came to visit, for Logan's second birthday and she told me about Mitchum." She sighed before continuing. "It might sound harsh, but I was sort of glad. Because that would mean he didn't have any power over me anymore, and I could contact you. I really wanted you to meet your son. So when my assignment was over, we got on a plane and came home. When I got home, I called your sister, hoping she wasn't mad at me still. She gave me your number, and well, here we are."

"So where do we go from here?" Logan asked, unsure of what was expected of him. Unsure of what he expected of himself. "Well, that depends. Right now, I think it's best if I go home and you go home. Read the notebooks. Think about everything. I want you in Logan's life, but I don't want to put him through what I went through with my dad. So you think about everything and then you decide if you want to be in his life or not. But if you want to be in it, it has to be all the way. No months without phone calls, regular visits and outings, being present at teacher-meetings and plays and little-league games. The whole nine yards. I don't need your money, and neither does he. He just needs you."

Rory stood, hesitated for a second, and hugged Logan. "I've missed you. Every day of every week of every month." She turned around and walked over to her mother and son. "You ready, cucciolo?" she asked her son. "Just a minute mommy. He picked up the little glass that held his extra whipped cream, walked over to Logan and put it on the table. "Here daddy, for you." Logan picked up the glass and smiled. He bend down, to look in the boy's very familiar green eyes and said "Thanks little man, I love whipped cream." Little Logan nodded his approval, hugged his dad again and ran to Rory, yelling behind him "Byebye daddy, come visit me soon!"

* * *

Logan stared at the door, even though Rory and Logan had left minutes ago. A sudden movement across the table startled him. He saw Lorelai sit down in the chair Rory had vacated, and he turned to face her. He knew she never really liked him, especially not after the boat incident, but he'd always liked her. She was quirky an spontaneous and outgoing. And even though she'd been a single mother at 16, she made a great life for herself. And raised a wonderful daughter. Still, when he saw her sitting there, he grew a little nervous. Her stare was intense and questioning, but not in an angry way. He waited for her to start talking, because he really didn't know what to say.

"You really didn't know?" she asked him, not unkindly, but definitely not warm either. He looked her in the eyes and hoped his sincerity would shine through in his eyes and voice. "I had no idea what so ever. After I left for California, I didn't have a lot of contact with my father, except for when it came to business. He never breathed a word of this. Honor, Colin and Finn, they told me they had various voicemail messages from Rory, about wanting to find me, but they never called her back. _I_ never called her back. Because I was stubborn and angry, and hurt. If I'd known, things would have turned out very differently. Like I wished for them to be every day over the last 3 years."

He hadn't been able to say it to Rory herself. How much he had missed her, and the life they had built together. Because things were so different now. But Lorelai… she had a way of getting you to spill all your thoughts and feelings with just one look. Lorelai's look softened just a fraction, and she tapped her finger on the notebooks on the table in front of them. "Read the books Logan, and you'll see what a wonderful little boy that is. He's been looking forward to meet you for so long." She sighed and continued "I know what it's like to be in her position, and it's never easy. And if you want to be his dad, be the kind of dad you would've wanted. Don't be the dad you had." And with that she slid an envelope over to him and stood. She picked up her son and walked out. Luke shot him a glance, before he left. One that said 'if you mess with my family, you'll pay for it'.

* * *

When Logan entered the Hutzberger home later that day for dinner, he was fuming. After he left the coffee shop, he'd walked around Hartford for a while. To clear his head. His parents had lied to him for over 3 years. Not that he was all that surprised. Image was everything to those people, and all they did was lie. He sat in his car in the driveway for half an hour, trying to keep his calm. Because he didn't want to make a scene in front of his sister and her family. But it was no use, the anger burning through him was overwhelming. He looked at the picture in the envelope again. It was a picture of his son, taken not so long ago by the looks of it, standing beside a little bike on a dirt road, smiling happily and pointing to a sheep in the distance.

He walked in, half an hour later than he was supposed to, to find his mother and sister sitting at the table, eating soup. "Logan! I'm so happy you finally decided to show up. Sit down son, the soup is getting cold." His mother had this way of mixing feelings 1 one sentence. She'd say she was happy, but the agitation and irritation was dripping off her every word. It only helped to make him more angry. "Yes, well mother, I'm sorry I couldn't keep to your timetable. I was in an important meeting today. Gave me some new perspectives on life." He threw down the picture in front of her. "See, I saw Rory today, and she had some interesting information for me." He watched his mother turn pale as the tablecloth and she cast her eyes down, not looking at the picture.

He slapped his hand on the table, making her jump up. "No mother, you will look at the picture. You will tell me why this boy grew up without his father for the last couple of years." His mother straightened her back, still not looking at the picture, instead looking at her son. "We did it to protect you. You're rich Logan, she was just a gold-digger who got herself knocked-up so she could take your money. Who knows if the kid is even yours." Logan heard Honor gasp in shock, when she looked at the picture. Her eyes flew between her brother and the little boy in the picture. There was no way you could doubt the family resemblance, even if the little boy had brown hair.

"Rory is not a gold-digger mother. Not everybody is like you." He ignored the shocked and outraged look on her face, and continued, not giving her a chance to interrupt. "She has her own money. And she doesn't care about that. I asked her to marry me and she said no. If she was such a gold-digger, she would have said yes and would have spent the past 3 years spending all of the family money, like you do. And if you would just god-damned look at the picture, you'd know there is no doubt that that kid is mine." Logan moved over to his sister, took the picture and put it right in his mother's line of sight. The look in her eyes told him she saw what everybody else saw. "He's mine. And you stole 3 years of me getting to know him and him getting to know me. And I will never, _ever_ forgive you for that. Don't ever call me again!"

Logan stormed out of the dining room and out of the house. He'd danced to their tune for so long now, but this was really the final straw. He reached in his pocket and dialed his lawyer. "Meet me at my apartment tomorrow at 10 AM, I've got some things to take care of." And he hung up.

* * *

Logan walked into his apartment, kicked off his shoes, poured himself a scotch and dropped down in the sofa. He pulled the books out of the bag they were in, and opened the first one again. The picture of Rory and Logan in the hospital bed caught his breath again. Even though you could see the bags under her eyes and the dull shine of her hair, she'd never looked more beautiful. A tear rolled down his cheek at the sight of it, and he cursed his father and his mother for taking away that moment in his life. He flipped the page, and started reading.

**February 26** **th**

_**Dear Logan,** _

_**Today at 3.14 PM our son was born, at the New York Hospital Queens. He weighed 7lbs 4oz and was 18 inches tall. He was also almost 8 days late. And if I hadn't been certain you were his dad, I'd know for sure after that. He's got little tufts of dark hair already, and his eyes are dark blue, but the doctors say that can change later. I hope they do, I hope they turn as green as yours are.** _

_**I named him Logan, because Lorelai would have been a very silly name for a boy, even though my mother begged me to call him after her (and myself I guess). But he looks like a Logan, he looks just like you. His full name is Logan Richard Gilmore, but I really wished it would have been 'Huntzberger'.** _

_**If you have this book, and all the ones I'm sure will follow after, then you know what happened after… well, after you walked away. It took me a long time to get over that, and I'm not sure I'm over it now, because I know you're the love of my life. But right now, I have our boy to think about so I have to be strong. I'll tell him about you every day, I will not let him wonder who his daddy is. But I hope, one day, you'll get to show him yourself what a good man you are.** _

_**I hope one day we'll be a family, or you'll be his family at least.** _

_**Always, Rory** _

Logan saw some more pictures on the next pages. Baby Logan in the crib at the hospital. Baby Logan when they left the hospital; in his stroller; in the car; in his crib at home. Rory had also taped the hospital band in the book, with all his data on it. A copy of the birth certificate was also included, and Rory had written in his name as father. Logan continued reading the books until the sun came back up.

**June 1** **st**

_**Dear Logan,** _

_**Logan is growing so fast. He can hold his head up already, and I'm certain I can see a little bit of tooth sticking out. He loves it when we make silly faces at him, and he's so funny when he tries to copy them. Mom thinks he's a genius, because he smiles at her so often. I also think he's a genius, because I think he's laughing** _ **at** _**her, not** _ **to** _**her. Don't tell her I said that though, okay? He's got this little rattler that he loves and he shakes it constantly.** _

_**He really is an angel. He almost never cries, except when he's hungry. Being part Gilmore means however, he's sort of hungry all the time. He's a good sleeper as well, a trait he sure got from you.** _

_**It's been a year since I last saw you, and I miss you still. Logan's eyes have turned green, and they are what I hoped they would be. Sometimes I pretend you're here with us. I can imagine you when you would have had to change his first diaper. That would have been funny (at least it was when I imagined it). I can picture you murmuring things to him. I can even picture Colin and Finn teaching him stuff that is very inappropriate for a 3 month old.** _

_**I tell him about you every night. About how we met, and I didn't really like you all that much. About the LDB, although a little censured (lest it not be only imaginary Colin and Finn that teach him bad behavior) And he seems to love the stories. Or he just likes the sound of my voice. Either way, he's happy.** _

_**Always, Rory** _

* * *

**October 30** **th**

_**Dear Logan,** _

_**Happy Halloween! Our little man is doing great. He babbles non-stop (wonder where he got that from) and he can sit up on his own now, and he loves it! He also eats 'normal' food now, and Luke makes wonderful baby-stuff. Tonight it's Miss Patty's annual Halloween party, and mom made Logan a wonderful costume; He's looking very sharp in his little suit (he even has a tiny umbrella, even though I won't tell mom why). He looks like you more and more every day, which also makes me miss you more. But we'll muddle through, we Gilmores are though (or so my grandfather says).** _

_**Always, Rory** _

* * *

**February 26** **th**

_**Dear Logan,** _

_**I can't believe he's one already. And we were right, he really is a genius. He can walk already (since about a month or so) and he can actually say words now. Mostly his words are food related (Ookie, uice, …) but he's wonderful. We've got so many home-movies, his 18** _ _**th** _ _**birthday is going to be a blast (for us at least). He says 'mommy' too, which I totally love by the way.** _

_**We'll be moving to Italy pretty soon, and I've been coaching him in Italian for a little while. He calls mom 'nonna' which she loves, because it doesn't make her sound too old. Luke is dubbed 'zio' which actually means 'uncle' but he doesn't mind. He's met Christopher 2 times in his life, and he really does not like him. And to be honest, after how he ruined my mother's relationship with that time, I don't really like him all that much myself. Maybe he can sense that somehow.** _

_**Always, Rory** _

* * *

**August 15** **th**

_**Dear Logan,** _

_**Italy is wonderful. The people are so great here, and I'm even learning how to cook (don't make fun of me, I'm actually doing pretty good). Logan is getting by phenomenally, he's speaking Italian already (just like you would imagine an 18 month old would talk). We really love it here, but we miss our home. Mom and Luke have gone back home today, and the house seems so quiet without them here. We did make plans to come to Stars Hollow for Christmas, so we'll just have to stay strong until then.** _

_**I wonder what you are doing now… Who you're with… I miss you!** _

_**Tuo per sempre, Rory.** _

* * *

**December 31** **st**

_**Dear daddy,** _

_**This is Logan speaking, but mommy writing. I wanted to tell you about the zoo we went to today. It was really nice and big and the lions were so scary. I wish you could have gone with us, because mommy said that you always made her feel safe and I want to be safe from the lions. Can we go to the zoo one time, if I'm a good boy. I promise I won't throw things in the cages and I'll walk with my own legs.** _

_**Mommy says I have to walk, because if I don't that means I don't need my legs anymore and she could give them to some other boy. But I don't want my legs to go away to another boy. You wouldn't let her, would you daddy? Can you come and play with me soon?** _

_**Tuo per sempre, Logan and Mommy** _

* * *

**May 6** **th**

_**Dear daddy,** _

_**We're coming home again! Mommy says we'll be back in the US in 3 hours. I can't wait to see Nonna and Zio and Ethan again. Will you be there with them? If you're not, can we maybe go and play later? I want to show you my new book, it's about a wizard and an owl and a witch to, but she scares me a little. But if you're there with me to read, I won't be scared, I promise!** _

_**Dear Logan,** _

_**We're coming home, it's true. My assignment in Italy is over. My mom told be about your dad, and I'm sorry for your loss. But I'm also glad he's gone, because now I can contact you, and hopefully you'll meet with me. I want to give you these books, and I hope this will be the last one I'll have to write.** _

_**I hope you'll want to know your son in person. He sure wants to meet you. You're his favorite person in the whole world (with maybe the exception of Luke, because how can you compete with pancakes..) and he adores you already. I know he'll grow to love you even more once he finally meets you.** _

_**Tuo per sempre, Logan and mommy** _

* * *

A knock on the door brought Logan back in the here and now, and a glance at his watch showed it was already 10 AM. He'd been captivated by those books so much, he hadn't even slept. Not that he could've, because his mind just wouldn't shut up. He stood to open the door and found his lawyer on the other side. "Come in" he said, "we've got a lot to discuss."


	3. Playing The Hand We're Dealth

Rory knew that sitting around, staring at a phone does not make it ring faster. Or at all. But that didn't mean that wasn't exactly what she was doing. Her phone was in the middle of her coffee table, just sitting there, being frustratingly silent. She'd known not to expect a phone call last night, because she figured Logan would be busy reading the notebooks. If he even did read them. She started panicking, like she does when she doesn't know what is happening. What if he didn't even read the books. What if he just threw them away. What if he had a girlfriend who didn't want any kids, especially ones from another woman. What if he had a girlfriend, period? What if..? What if…? What if..?

The sudden ringing of her phone made her jump, and she picked it up without even checking who was calling. "Stop stressing, sweets. I can feel your stress from all the way over here. He'll call." Her mother said on the other end of the line. "Mom! You shouldn't have called! What if he's trying, gets voicemail and just things 'screw this' and never calls again? I'm going to hang up now!" Rory was frustrated. Her line was busy now, what would Logan think. Her mom should have known better than to call her right now. "Honey, it'll work out. But I'm actually calling to see if you and 'lolo' want to go with us to the playground." When her mother said 'lolo', she had to smile even though she was still annoyed. It was the name Ethan used for Logan, because he couldn't yet say his full name. "What time are you going?" she asked her mother. She could stress anywhere, but Logan loved the playground. And his .. well technically, his Uncle Ethan. "We leave in about 10 minutes or so, how about I come and pick you guys up, we'll have breakfast at the diner and then we vamoose."

They agreed and hung up. Rory was relieved there was no sign of any missed calls or voicemail messages. And then she stressed again, because that meant he hadn't called. Knowing she would never stop with all the 'what ifs', she picked up her purse and went downstairs. The breakfast rush had ended, since it was already past 10 AM; and she found Logan sitting at the counter, filling salt and sugar shakers. He loved helping Luke, and he really was the best at refilling the shakers. "Hi, little bit. Did you have fun with Zio this morning?" Her son turned to her and she saw a bright red lipstick print on his cheek. "Oh, I see you saw Miss Patty." She chuckled a little at the face he was making, sort of the same face Luke had when being near Miss Patty. "C'mon let me clean that up for you, so you'll be nice and clean to go to the playground." Logan's eyes lit up when he heard the word 'playground', and by the time Lorelai and Ethan arrived at the diner, it was all he could talk about.

"Hey Ethan! Will you go on the slide with me? I promise I'll hold on to you so you can't fall. And can we go on the swings, can we mommy? Can we? Oh and the sandbox, I want to go in the sandbox…" Luckily they were all Gilmores and as such were trained to follow the fast paced words that came out of the kid's mouths. By the time they finished breakfast it was nearly lunchtime, and they decided to just grab some snacks for the kids to eat when they were hungry again. That earned the Gilmore Girls some grumbles from Luke, something about structure and too much sugar. You know, the usual Luke stuff. They said their goodbyes and headed towards her mother's new, and very sensible sedan. Perfectly suited to carry 2 car-seats, all the toys the boys would need, and of course road-trip candy.

* * *

Logan shut his front door and sighed deeply. The discussion with his lawyer had taken up more time than he would have liked as it was already nearing 12.30 PM. And the arguing combined with his lack of sleep resulted in a massive headache. It surprised Logan that the people you pay the most, are the ones who were the most difficult to deal with. And lawyers, that was a whole different kind of thing. But in the end, he was the one that paid and thus the one that got his way. Even if the lawyer didn't agree.

He had made some big decisions this morning, not all of which he was completely comfortable with. But he'd meant it last night when he'd said to his mother that he was done with her. And being done with her, meant she would no longer get an allowance from him. He was sure he'd get angry phone calls from her, but he was also sure he wouldn't pick up if she called. He had nothing to say to her, not anymore. He'd felt sorry for his mother when his dad had died. He'd craftily drawn up his will, so that all she got was the house in the Vineyard and the one in Hartford and a small sum of money. Well, small in her eyes, it was still more than the average man would make in 10 years' time. So he'd set up an account for her and gave her an allowance. Not any more though. He was done with being played by her.

The second thing he did was make arrangements for a trust-fund in Logan's name. That was where his lawyer had started being difficult. Logan didn't need a paternity test to know little Logan was his son. Just looking at the boy was proof enough. Besides, Rory had never lied to him, specially not about something this big, so why would she start now. Certainly not for the money. No, he was pretty sure that she wouldn't like the trust fund he'd start for Logan, but he wanted his son to have that, just in case.

The final thing he did was set up an account for Rory, which his lawyer also didn't like. And neither would Rory, he was sure of that. But she'd been taking care of Logan for almost 3 years by herself, and he wanted to help. He had a good way to spin it, if she was stubborn about it, which he knew she would be.

All there was left now, was to call her and arrange a meeting. Her words came back to him: _"I want you in Logan's life but I don't want to put him through what I went through with my dad. If you want to be in it, it has to be all the way."_ Did he want to be a dad? Thinking back to that little boy he met yesterday, and his beautiful mother, he realized that yes, he wanted to be one. He also wanted to be a real family. He still loved Rory, she was the love of his life. She'd made him better in every way, and he liked to think he did the same for her. Logan wasn't naïve enough to think they could just start over, not with all the history. But he wanted Rory in his life, in the most meaningful way, and little Logan too. So he would bide his time, get to know the Rory of today, instead of the one he left 3 years ago. He'd show her he was a changed man, somebody she could be with for the rest of her life.

By the time he was done with all his musings, it was almost 1.30 PM. So he picked up his phone, and dialed the number she'd left for him in the back of the notebook.


	4. Money Can't Buy Me Love

Sitting in the restaurant, Logan Huntzberger couldn't help but think about the strangeness of the situation he was in. He was meeting his ex-girlfriend/mother of his son for a dinner/meeting about that son, who he just learned existed yesterday. In all honesty, he'd thought about Rory so much over the last 3 years, though it never crossed his mind that this would be the reason they would meet again. He kept replaying their very first conversation. Her not-so-hidden contempt for his behavior and his attempt to goad her. Even then, they always had the best conversations, so much different from what he was used to with girls. Except maybe for the time she called him a buttface miscreant. She'd always challenge him, and he always challenged her.

" _It'll be fun, it'll be a thrill. Something stupid, something bad for you. Just something different. Isn't this the point of being young? It's your choice, Ace. People can live a hundred years without really living for a minute. You climb up here with me, it's one less minute you haven't lived."_

Logan was shook out of his musings by the door opening and he had a prime view of watching the lost love of his life enter. Even though she looked casual, he could see she'd spent some time on her look. She was wearing light linen trousers and a blue laced top, her hair curling around her head. She took his breath away. Then again, she could have walked in here wearing a potato-sack and she would still be the most beautiful woman in here. He stood from his chair and walked over to her chair, to pull it out for her. She smiled and nodded, and sat down. When Logan was back in his chair, a silence fell over the table. Not an uncomfortable silence per se, but a reminiscent one, like they were both remembering all the times they had sat before each other like this. Albeit under slightly different circumstances.

Finally he broke the silence, in a way so simple but so familiar, it hurt her heart a little. "Hi." Their gazes met, and in that moment, the rest of the restaurant seized to exist. It was just the two of them, in no particular place, at no particular time. 3 years of longing and missing didn't matter anymore, because they were here, together again. The spell broke when the waitress came to the table and asked them if they wanted to order. After she left again, Rory finally answered him. "Hi."

Even though they started off a little rocky, when the food came, conversation flew fluently. "Wow there Ace, I see you still have a healthy appetite, but shouldn't you, I dunno, chew before you swallow?" he joked, and she actually laughed this time. "Pssht, chewing is for beginners. This is a Gilmore you're talking to. The very same who once had 4 Thanksgiving dinners in one night. Four! In one night!" Logan looked a little funny at her, then shrugged and continued eating. He really shouldn't be surprised. She and her mother were like a bottomless pit when it came to food. How the hell they stayed looking like that and not weighing a 1000 pounds was beyond him.

"Okay, no chewing. How about cutting things? Or blowing to cool them?" he said, half joking. "Well, cutting only when the original piece really can't fit in your mouth, and blowing on things is a necessary waste of time, if you don't want to completely burn your taste buds." Her answer came so quickly it seemed like she'd had to explain it all before. "Oh, alright, so that's cleared up for me then. Carry on." He smiled, how could it be that after all that has happened, they still could just be themselves around each other.

* * *

 

Logan cleared his throat, and put down his utensils. Might be time to talk about the hard stuff now, while she was still on a dinner-high. That might soften her up a little. "So, Ace… about Logan…" Her eyes snapped up from her plate, and she was suddenly very much ignoring the rest of her Tiramisu. "Yes?" she asked, a little guarded, as if she fully expected him to say "I'm out, see ya".

"I talked to my lawyer this morning, about this whole situation. I wanted to see what I could do to officially acknowledge him as my son. And, if you agree, I would also like him to have my last name. Maybe we could hyphenate it, you know, Logan Gilmore-Huntzberger. I bet that would make him really popular in school." Rory chuckled a little at that. "I also, and please don't get mad, started a trust fund for him." Logan cringed a little, because he knew the tirade that would be coming. It didn't however, and when he looked up, he saw an amused look in Rory's eyes. "Wow, Huntzberger… that was a really brave move you pulled there. Maybe you should check under the table, see if there's room there to hide." She laughed a little. "I know you, It might have been 3 years since I last saw you, but that doesn't mean anything. I know you like to spend, so I assumed you'd try something like start a trust-fund. I don't mind the trust-fund, I also have one remember. But I would like you to make sure he won't receive the money until his 25th birthday and the payout must be periodical. I want him to learn to stand on his own two feet, at least a little."

Logan let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Rory took the trust-fund news a lot better than he thought she would've. But then again, the fund wasn't the biggest thing. The other account, that would be received with much less grace he assumed. He pulled out his wallet, took out a card and slid it across the table and towards Rory. When he pulled his hand back, and she saw what was on the table, she shook her head. "NO! Logan, No… just no." she started shaking her head and made an attempt to get up. But Logan's hand on her arm stopped her. "Rory please. He is my son, and I've missed so much already. Your books, they're wonderful.. but they're just books. Nothing will ever give me back the moments I've missed. Crawling, walking, talking… And on top of that, you've had to pay for everything on your own. So please, take the card and if he needs something, _anything_ let me pay for it. Just until we can figure out a better arrangement. Rory, I want to be his dad, and I want to be there for the games and birthdays and plays and everything, but that also means that I'm going to be financially responsible for at least half of his needs."

The doubt in Rory's eyes told him she was considering his point. So he pressed on a little more. "Rory, just let me do this for him. For you. And we'll figure out a better deal later, okay?" Not that he really wanted a better deal. He would give her all of his money if it meant they could be happy again, together again. But he knew she wouldn't take it otherwise. And, if he got his way, in some time there would be no need for splitting bills and costs.

"Fine, Logan. But only the things he need. I won't turn him into a brat, who gets everything he wants just because he asks for it. And I would appreciate if you would abide by that to. It's not because you _can_ give him everything he wants, that you automatically _should._ Remember the song 'Money can't buy me love.' As long as you show him you care, and do stuff with him, he'll be happy. You know, we went to the playground today, and all he said was: 'Mommy, do you think daddy would like this, do you think daddy would do that with me, do you think daddy…'; and he's only met you one time.

"Yeah, about that… I was wondering…." Rory's eyebrows went up questioningly, not really familiar with a shy Logan. "I was wondering if the two of you had some time tomorrow? I was thinking we could go out and shop a little for his room, and maybe go to the zoo afterwards?"

Rory smiled. "Sure, we've got time. I'm sure Logan would love that. How about you give me your address, and we'll meet you there at 9 tomorrow?"

Logan nodded and handed her his card. "I'm looking forward to it."

"i'm glad you decided you want to know Logan. You'll be a wonderful dad to him, I've got no doubt." Rory said fondly. "I'm glad I don't have to do this alone anymore." Logan looked her in the eyes and said "You're not alone. From now on, we're in this together, You, Logan and me. You jump, I jump Jack."


	5. Yoho Yoho, A Pirate's Life For Me

"Logan, no!" Rory vehemently shook her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "That is not for 3 year old boys to play with!" Logan shook his head. "Oh c'mon Ace. Pleasepleaseplease" he whined, a smirk ever present on his face. "Every little kid _needs_ a pinball machine. And this one, it's TMNT themed, how can you say no to that." Rory took a deep breath and let it out loudly. It was like she was shopping with two children instead of just the one. "No Logan. No 3 year old kid _needs_ a pinball machine. Just like he doesn't _need_ a miniature pool table, an air hockey table or a flying car. I conceited on the Ipod-jukebox, but that's it. We came here to buy stuff for his room at your place, not to start our own Toys-R-Us."

"Oh Ace, you're just no fun at all today. So we just buy a bed, nightstand, desk and lights and we're done?" Right at that moment they walked past a giant wooden replica of a pirateship-treehouse, complete with plank. "How about this? This is _soooo_ cool. I'd bet Logan would love this." Right at that moment, the little boy's head popped out one of the portholes in the side of the ship. "Mommy, this boat is super. Can I have it? Pretty please? With chocolate sprinkles on top?" Rory turned to Logan – the sort of adult one- and said "Where are you going to put that? You live in a penthouse apartment in the middle of Hartford. No garden, remember. No garden means no tree. And no tree means no treehouse." She could tell he was about to argue her point, when her eyes fell on something near the back of the store. "How about, instead of a giant pirateship treehouse you can't put anywhere, we buy him that." She pointed towards the bed she'd seen. Logan turned and another smile crept onto his face. " That is just perfect. Hey Logan, buddy c'mere for a minute. Let's check that out."

They both ran over to the bed, which happened to also look like a pirateship, albeit slightly smaller and with more… function. It was a high-rise bed, with portholes in the sides and a bridge of some sort. The bottom was a drawer that could be used to store toys or you could put in an extra matrass. There were doors and canons and even a sail. Seeing the boys excited about it, made her smile a genuine smile for the first time that morning.

* * *

EARLIER THAT MORNING

" _Mommy, why do we have to buy stuff for daddies house? We have to live together, because you are my mommy and my daddy and mommies and daddies always live with each other. Nonna and Zio live with Ethan in the Cap Shack. So why doesn't daddy live with us?" Rory looked at her son, and for the first time in almost 3 years, didn't have a suitable answer to give him. But she was most definitely going to give her mother hell for teaching her son about 'the crap shack', thank god his pronunciation was a little off. "Oh cucciolo… well… " she was at a loss. How do you tell your son that his daddy doesn't live with them because his mommy had been stupid way back when. "Nonna and Zio are married, that's why they live together. Daddy and me aren't married, so we live apart. And you get to pick out a whole new room and some toys to play with for when you are at daddies house."_

_Little Logan had a pensive look in his eyes, and after a minute he nodded. "Okay mommy, let's go. I wane see daddy now!"_

_When they arrived at the address Logan had given her, it turned out to be a sleek and modern apartment building smack in the middle of Hartford. The doorman let them in and directed them to the elevator, where he swiped a badge and pushed the button for the top floor. When the doors opened, they were in a small hallway, with one door right in front of them and Logan leaning casual against its frame. He stepped out of the way and Rory could smell the sweet, sweet scent of a caffeinated beverage. "Coffeecoffeecoffee!" she said, not having had time to take one with her from Luke's. Logan pointed her in the direction of the kitchen, which she would have found by herself if she just followed her nose, but still the gesture was appreciated. Logan ducked down to say hi to the little boy by his feet, a little unsure of how to start. "Hi buddy, are you ready to pick out some new stuff?" Little Logan nodded and smiled up at his dad. "C'mon I'll show you your room, while your mommy is enjoying her addiction. He took the boy's hand and led him across the living room towards a door that was slightly ajar. When the boy didn't enter, he knelt down again. "What's up buddy? You don't want to take a look inside?" Little Logan looked his dad in the eyes and said "when are my mommy and you going to get married? Than we can live together like Nonna and Zio do, and I can play with you all the time." Logan's smile faltered a little, and a whispered curse told him Rory had heard her son as well. He looked behind him, to find her standing about 6 feet away. Their eyes met and she shrugged her shoulders apologetically. Logan turned back to his son, and contemplated his answer. If he said to much, he might scare Rory off. But he also didn't want her to think that he didn't want that. So he went vague and said "We'll see buddy, we'll see." He stood again and rubbed his hand over the boy's head. "Okay, who's ready to go shopping?"_

* * *

Rory's trip down recent-memory-lane ended abruptly when she fell a small hand pull at hers. She looked down to see Logan standing there, his eyes alight with joy and a huge smile on his face. "Mommy! Daddy said I can have a whole pirate room. With the bed and a parrot and everything. I'm gonna have so much fun, mommy. Can Ethan come and play to? But he can't play the capin, because I'm gonna be the capin." Rory ruffled his hair a little while a light laugh bubbled out of her. "Sure cucciolo, you can be the captain. But you'll have to ask your dad if Ethan can come and play some time." She winked at Logan, who was coming up behind their son, and stifled a laugh at the frightened look on his face. How was he supposed to take care of 2 toddlers, when he hadn't even learned how to take care of 1. Before little Logan could ask his dad about Ethan, Logan pointed the kid in the direction of the books, and he took off like a jet.

"Logan Richard Gilmore! What did I tell you about running away from daddy and mommy?" The boy skidded to a halt and turned around. "Sorry mommy. Can I go to the books now?" Rory nodded and little Logan took off again, happily running towards the books. "Well, look at that Ace. He's just like you with all the books. I distinctly remember you smelling one once, in Sterling Memorial Library." A faint blush crept up Rory's face and she shrugged. "What can I say. Some people wake up and smell the roses, Me, I wake up and smell Proust. To each his own." They both laughed at that, while they strolled over to the book section of the store.

"So Ace, you never told me.. how did your mother react when she found out about Logan?" he asked gently as he sat down on one of the benches that lined the bookshelves. "My mom? Oh well, she wasn't all that thrilled as you can imagine. But I was almost 22 and had my degree in hand, so there wasn't much she could say. My grandparents where a whole different matter, that's for sure. Emily blew a gasket when she found out. Started yammering about history repeating itself and irresponsible youth of today. But again, I was a legal adult and she has no say over me. Our relationship did take a hit because of that. Of course, when mom told her she was pregnant with Luke's baby a few months later, grandma nearly had a heartattack. But it took the bulls-eye off me for a while." Rory stared in the distance for a second, before continuing. "But, when they found out it was your baby, and what your parents did, all hell broke loose." Logan looked at her questioningly, and Rory took a deep breath before she told that particular story.

* * *

_When her grandparents found out the reaction of Mitchum and Shira, her grandfather was furious. He wanted to march right over to their house and confront them. Emily however, was more demure about the whole thing. If they openly argued with the Huntzbergers, it would cause a scene. And if there was one thing Emily Gilmore hated, it was making a scene. Especially towards one of the most influential families in Hartford. So she continued to be pleasant towards them at parties, albeit a little less friendly. It was like the situation with the Haydens all over again. On the outside there was nothing wrong, but behind closed doors there were arguments. The Huntzbergers however, didn't bend and after a while Emily gave up pressuring them. It almost caused another break between her grandparents, because Richard wanted to keep going until they at least told him Logan's address. In the end it was Lorelai who told them to drop it. If Mitchum didn't want Logan to be found, they wouldn't find him. And all the arguing and bickering was hard on Rory. So they gave up._

* * *

"It wasn't a fun time, let me tell you. You couldn't go anywhere near the Gilmore house if you treasured your eardrums, they were fighting that loudly." Logan took Rory's hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry my family behaved the way they did. And if I'd known, things would've been very different, believe me. Oh, before I forget, Honor asked me if I would give her your number. She wants to apologize to you personally, for not answering her phone when you called her. She didn't know either, but she was upset about the break-up. She really liked you."

Before Rory could answer though, their son came flying out of the isles with at least 6 books under his arm. "Look daddy, mommy! I found all these books about pirates." He climbed on the bench between them and showed them the books. "This one has a parrot, see?" he flipped one open to reveal a picture of a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder. "And this one, he has a big black boat." He pushed the first book into Rory's hands and opened up the second. "Can I have them daddy? Please? With chocolate sauce on top?" Logan laughed, because only a Gilmore would substitute fruit with chocolate, even if it was proverbial fruit. "Sure buddy, we can take those books. Let's go pay, so we can have some lunch and go to the zoo, you like that?" Little Logan nodded and jumped off the bench. He pushed the rest of the books towards Rory and turned to his dad. "daddy, do you wanne race?" And before Logan could answer him, he took off running towards the register. "Hey, no fair!" Logan yelled after him. He looked at Rory, as if to ask permission to do something silly with his kid. She made a shooing motion with her hands and he took off after his son. While Rory leisurely walked towards the register, she heard their laughs booming through the store.


	6. It's All Happening At The Zoo

"How about the lion?" Logan asked, while dunking a fry in his ketchup. The little boy beside him replayed instantly "rrrraaooorrr." Logan smiled and popped the fry in his mouth. "And how about the monkey?" Little Logan sat up straight and said "oe-oe-oe-oe-oe", while shaking his hands up and down under his armpits. "Wow Ace, We've got a whole zoo, sitting right here." He then turned to his son again. "Are you sure we need to go see the animals? You seem to know them all already. Maybe we can just go home and you can play Zoo for us?" He laughed at the sad face his son pulled at that, and Rory stepped in to resolve the situation. "Oh, cucciolo. Your daddy is joking, of course we're going to the zoo. After you finish your nuggets that is."

Rory sat back and watched the two Logans across the table from her. Logan kept coming up with animals for him to act out, and in between impersonations he took bites of his food. But what warmed her heart most, was the way they interacted with each other. Even though her little man had always adored his dad, before it had only been in stories. Seeing the adoration play out in real life, was another thing all together. And Logan, he just relished in the fact that the kid liked him. Even though the interaction had been a little hesitant at first, it was now like they'd always known each other. Logan really adapted to being a dad very fast. Or well, he adapted to being a kid again himself. The disciplining part, that needed some work. Bur for now Rory was content watching her boys connect.

"So cucciolo, how about you go play in the playground a little, so daddy and mommy can finish eating?" she said to her son, who was now finished with his food and bouncing up and down restlessly. "But remember, always stay where we can see you." The kid nodded and ran over to the little playground beside the terrace they were sitting on.

"So, how long do you think it'll be before the furniture and stuff arrives at your place?" she asked Logan seemingly casual. "Oh, well… they should be bringing it around on Thursday. When it comes to deliveries, it helps to have charisma. And a black AmEx card." He replayed, with that sly grin in place. The one that made her knees go weak. "So… hypothetically… Logan could stay with you on Friday?" Her eyes were glued to her plate, so she missed the frightened look that flashed in his eyes for a second. "Uhm… hypothetically, yes. Practically, that's a whole other matter." he said carefully. Then he got a little suspicious, and asked "Why? Hypothetically speaking of course."

Rory sighed and looked up. "I might, maybe, possibly have a sort of date on Friday night." She answered him, and his eyes snapped to her face. At seeing her expression, he relaxed a little. "Ah. And by the look on your face, you are really looking forward to that particular outing. What's the occasion?" A look of annoyance settled over Rory's features as she said "Paris." As if that would explain it all. Which, granted, it usually would. "Ah, how is Stalin these days? Is she getting ready for world domination yet?" Rory chuckled and almost chocked on the sip of coffee she'd just taken. "She's about to become Mrs. Privileged White Male actually." When Rory saw the questioning look on Logan's face she continued. "Never mind. She and Doyle are getting married in September. She asked me to be maid of honor. Actually, she demanded to know my dress size and made me pick out color-schemes. That kind of clued me in about what role I would be playing in the whole shindig." Logan grimaced, picturing Rory stuck wedding-planning with the anal-retentive likes of Paris Gellar. Then again, she'd lived with her off and on over the four years they spend at Yale, so she wasn't completely clueless about the inner workings of Paris; she should have known better.

"So, what's the date about then?" Rory flushed. "It's ludicrous that's what it is. Just because I haven't seriously dated anyone since… . But that's not the point. She's setting me up with Doyle's stupid New York cousin. Who's – get this- even shorter than Doyle is. It's going to be a nightmare. But Paris threatened both bodily and professional harm if I didn't come. And my mom and Luke are out of town, they're on holiday to New Mexico to visit with April, so they can't take Logan." Her eyes darted over to Logan, who was just about to push another kid out of his way. She flew out of her seat and headed over towards where he was playing, to give him a 'strong talking to'.

Logan's eyes followed her, and the interaction she had with their kid. It still felt weird in his mind, thinking things like _their kid_ and _my son_ but the boy was so wonderful, and smart and funny, how could he not be instantly in love with him. He reminded him so much of Rory, it wasn't even funny. Another thing that wasn't funny, was this date she would be going on. While Logan knew he had no real claim over Rory, he felt jealous none the less. Especially after what she sort of confessed to earlier, when she said she hadn't seriously dated anyone. The 'since him' was strongly implied. And, while he hadn't been a monk in the past 3 years, he hadn't been in love again either. Constantly comparing every girl to Rory, and nobody measuring up. And now, she was back in his life, and he had a chance to make things right; Paris had to butt in. But she wouldn't be Paris if she didn't meddle in other people's lives constantly and insistently.

Maybe he could come up with a plan, to get Rory out of that date. He looked towards Rory and Logan again, who were on their way back to the table. Maybe he could even enlist the little one's help. After all, he'd already said he wanted his mommy and daddy under one roof. And he was sharp as a razor, that he'd already noticed.

* * *

"Okay, so what you're saying is, that if you could pick the coolest animal, you'd pick the giraffe over the lion?" Logan asked his son, fake disbelief in his voice? "Ace, did you hear that, our kid thinks giraffes are cooler than lions!" He looked over at Rory, who had an amused smile on her face. "Nono, that just won't do. I mean, if you'd said 'elephant' I could have understood, because they are huge and heavy and can run you over. But a giraffe?" Little Logan looked up at his dad, a little smugly for a 3 year old. "Daddy, don't you know that a giraffe can take a lion. They are super-fast and they can kick really hard. It's in my book!" Logan chuckled at that. "Of course it's in your book." He shot Rory a knowing smile. "Okay fine, we'll just go look at both of them, and then we'll decide which one is cooler." Little Logan nodded and placed his little hand into his dad's bigger one. "Sure daddy, we'll decide then. But I'll bet you'll like the giraffes best to." He stretched his hand out towards Rory's as well and asked her, with his best puppy-dog eyes: "mommy, can we do one-two-three upsidaisy? Please?" Rory smiled at him. "Sure cucciolo," she turned towards Logan "are you ready daddy? And 1-2-3 upsidaisy!" The little boy's giggles were so loud, Logan and Rory couldn't help but join in. "Again daddy, again!"

They went on for a while like that, every few feet pulling the boy up by his arms and swinging him forward. Stealing a sideways glance at Logan, Rory said: "That's why I call him cucciolo you know." When she saw the question in Logan's eyes, she continued "Because he has those big, wide puppy-eyes, and he isn't afraid to use them. Cucciolo means 'puppy' in Italian." Logan nodded. "I know. I looked it up when I first heard you say it. It's cute, and it fits him. But don't expect to still say it in 10 years or so, because that much cuteness is totally forbidden when boys reach a certain age. It has to do with image, you understand." The happy glint in his eyes told Rory that it was a joke, and she laughed in response. "Yes well, when it comes to that, I'll be sure to protect his image."

They continues on through the zoo, stopping at all of little Logan's favorite animals all the while entertained by the comments sliding between the 3.

"Whoa, I feel totally underdressed. Look at all these penguins in their fancy tux. You could've warned me about the dress-code here, Ace." Logan said to Rory jokingly, while they walked around the penguin-habitat. The zoo recently made some changes to the layouts, and now visitors were allowed to walk around with the penguins. Just, no touching, as the 'nice' penguin-lady told them.

"No daddy, they aren't wearing 'tokses'. That's just how they look, silly. But look dad, I can walk like a penguin to!" Little Logan then proceeded to walk around funny, like penguins do. "Now you do it mommy, and you to daddy!" he yelled, while he was waddling around. Still laughing they left the penguin-habitat and strolled over to the wild horses.

"hhhhiiiiiiii." Said little Logan, with his nose pressed against the bars of the fence. "hihiiiii…. Mommy, they don't answer back to me." He whined to Rory. "Why don't they talk back to me?" Rory knelt down beside her son and put her arm around his shoulder. "Well cucciolo, I think maybe they speak another language. They're African Wild Horses after all. Logan had to put his hand over his mouth, to stifle the sound of his laughter. That might have been the single most funny answer he's ever heard, and that meant a lot since his best friends were Colin and Finn.

They visited with the gorillas, the leopards, the elephants and the birds. Had another lengthy discussion about lions versus giraffes, that ended with little Logan promising his dad he'd bring his book with him next time he was there, so he could read it for himself. At around 5 PM they decided it was time to head home, because the little guy was completely wiped.

"How about I drive you guys home? I bet that the moment we're on the road, he'll fall asleep anyway, and I'd rather not wake him up just to switch cars." Logan said to Rory. She looked a little doubtful at first, but when she glanced at her son, being held by his dad, head on his shoulder, she agreed. "Sure, but what about my car? I don't really need it tomorrow, but if something comes up I need to be able to leave." Logan thought about that for a minute. "I'll drive it over to you tomorrow, and I'll have Frank pick me up in Stars Hollow to get back home." Rory agreed, and when they said goodbye in front of Luke's diner later that night, the hug lasted just a little bit longer than strictly friendly.


	7. Be Not Sick To Late

When his buzzer rung at 6 PM that Friday, Logan was not prepared. Sure, he had stocked up on certain items he had never before felt the need to buy. Like milk (he was strictly a coffee and creamer guy), several kinds of juice (the only juice Logan drank was in his vodka), peanut butter and crackers. Also, about 10 different kinds of cookies and candy, you know, just in case. He'd also baby-proofed the kitchen, and was now having trouble opening his cupboards himself. There were DVD's of every kids movie ever made, including but not limited to the entire Disney cartoon collection.

Even so, Logan was not prepared. He still hadn't come up with a plan to rescue Rory from that 'date' she was supposed to go on. He'd thought of several things, and dismissed them all equally fast. There was the 'fill him up with sugar' idea, which he'd discarded because his son was part Gilmore and would have an abnormally high tolerance to sugar. Also, he didn't want to put him in a sugar-coma. He'd thought about letting him watch scary movies, but cast that idea aside because he was trying to get Rory to come over, not traumatize his kid for life. Pretending illness would require a level of acting he wasn't sure a 3 year old would have mastered yet. So he was stuck, with no way to stop Rory from going on that date.

When he opened the door, he was a little struck. She didn't quite look like Rory, like _his_ Rory. And for a moment he couldn't quite understand why. Then it hit him, she looked a little… forced. Not only in the way her eyes and mouth were set, but also in the way she was dressed. Like she intentionally dressed unlike her. Her hair up in a complicated twist and her dress a little more stiff than her usual wardrobe consisted of. Honestly, she looked like she'd gone dress-shopping in Emily Gilmore's closed. Then his eyes landed on the little boy she was holding, his head on her shoulders.

"Hi buddy! Come on in. Your pirate room is all ready for you to guide it over the seven seas." The only response he got was a shrug and a head-turn. "Don't mind him, he fell asleep on the way over here, and he woke up when I lifted him up. He'll be his usual bubbly self again when he's a little more awake." She put down their son on the couch and walked over to the dining-room table to drop of her bag. "He's already had dinner, but I made a list of his nighttime ritual. You know, how he takes his milk, what book you should read, what time he needs to be in bed… basically everything you need to know to avoid a tantrum. I also added diapers, because he still has accidents at night, and wet wipes; they are good for anything and _everything_. Earlier he was complaining a little about an ear ache, but he seems to be okay at the moment… If there is anything, you can call me on my cell, it'll be on the entire night." The way she said that last part was almost begging. Like 'please let there be something you need to call me about'. She really didn't want to go on this date.

They stood there a moment, a little awkwardly, until Rory saw the time. "Oh shoot, I really need to get going, we'll be at a restaurant here in town, about 10 minutes from here, so again, if there's anything…" She gave little Logan a kiss on the forehead, other Logan a hug and rushed out the door. Paris was a stickler for timeliness and if she was late, she'd probably be killed at the spot.

* * *

Logan decided to take a look at this list she left him. Because of course she made a list, this was Rory after all. He did know how to take care of a kid for one night. His niece Annabelle had spent one or two nights with him, so it wasn't all that foreign. Except that it kind off was. Because this was his son, and being a dad was totally different from being an uncle. First off, uncles don't really have to discipline, because that's what parents are for. Uncles are to play with and act silly with. And when the parents came to get the kids, they could deal with the rest of the parenting stuff. It was called _parent_ ing for a reason, right? But now, Logan was a dad. That meant, if little Logan did something he wasn't supposed to do, he would have to punish him, like a dad would do. So he sighed and opened the bag, in search of the list. It was a lengthy one.

1\. Put on his PJ's and a diaper before you go play, that way if he falls asleep, you won't have any problems with that.

2\. At 7, 250 ml of milk (there are markings on the bottle), heat it up for about 45 seconds. Be sure he gets to stand next to the microwave and count with him to twenty. If you don't, prepare for a tantrum of at least 30 minutes.

3\. He can watch 'Dora the explorer' (DVD is in the bag) until 7.30 PM. No longer! Warn him about 5 minutes before it's time. If you're in the middle of an episode, just turn it off. He'll probably scream and stomp his feet, but just go into his room, he'll follow.

4\. We're reading 'Charlotte's Web' at the moment. He gets 1 chapter per night. He'll probably beg you for more, just say that the next one is for tomorrow. He'll whine a little, but settle in within a few minutes.

5\. Be sure to give him his pacifier and his 'Yogi', because he won't sleep if he doesn't have these.

6\. Don't forget the nightlight in his bed. He'll start to cry if it's too dark in the room

7\. He'll probably talk a little while, just to himself or his bear. If he gets to loud, or to long, just go in and tell him to go to sleep. You might need to do this a few times.

After reading the list, Logan and little Logan got a little more comfy (in PJ's) and played a little in his pirate room, now fully decorated like it should be. Blue carpet and walls painted blue for about 3 feet to represent the ocean and clear blue sky above that. He even had a real island, that was partly painted on the wall, and partly a fake sand hill with a slide. After about 10 minutes though, little Logan started to cry. He'd been rubbing his ear frequently, and Logan could tell his boy was in pain.

"What's wrong buddy? You're not feeling well?" Little Logan crawled on his dad's lap and put his head on his chest. "Daddy, my ear hurts. I don't want my ear to hurt. Can you make it stop? Mommy always makes it stop." Logan put his hand on his son's head, and noticed he felt a little feverish. He walked his son back into the living room, sat him on the sofa and went to wet a towel, to put on his head. Then he started rummaging through the bag Rory had brought. "Wet wipes, diapers, PJ's, books, bottle,… where is the thermometer and the medicine?" he murmured to himself. He turned the whole bag upside down but couldn't find it. Logan started crying harder, and he went over to comfort his son. "Mommy! I want MOMMY! Daddy, mommy can fix my ear, I want my mommy!" Logan tried to shush his boy, murmuring positive things to him and rocking him a little. It helped a little, because Logan was now crying silently, tears running down his cheeks freely.

Suddenly the buzzer to his apartment went off again. He picked up Logan and moved over to the door. There were few people who were allowed direct access to his floor, and he really wasn't in the mood for Colin or Finn tonight. When he opened the door though, he found Rory standing there, little blue pouch in hand.

"The medicine-kit was on the floor of my car, it must have fallen out." Her eyes grew concerned when she looked at their son and saw the tear streaks on his cheeks and the towel on his head. "Oh no, does he have a fever?" she moved into the living room and pulled out the thermometer. Then she took over little Logan and went inside the bathroom. When she came back out, Logan had stopped crying and was resting on her shoulder with his eyes closed. "I can't go to dinner now, not when he's sick. It's those damn ear infections. He's been getting them since he was a little baby, but this is the first time I haven't been here with him. We should get home." She sat down on the couch and cradled Logan closer to her chest. "I need to call Paris and tell her I won't make it. Oh, she's going to be pissed. Might even put me in a bright orange taffeta dress just to get back at me. Oh boy…" Logan moved over to her side. "Here, let me take our boy, you go call Paris and I'll order us some dinner. You're not going anywhere with our sick boy, unless it's to a doctor or the hospital. But it looks like that's not necessary yet, so let's hope the fever drops. His room is ready and I have another spare bedroom where you can sleep in." Rory looked doubtful for a moment, then sighed a thank you and went to call Paris. Logan called his favorite Chinese take-out place and ordered half the menu.

When Rory got back, she looked a little more relaxed and little Logan was asleep on his dad's chest. "What did she say?" he whispered to her, as to not wake up his son. Rory shrugged. "My kid is sick, she's a doctor, so that part she gets. She wasn't happy though. I'll have to make this up to her. Oh god, who knows what she's going to do to me. That woman is even crazier because of the wedding than ever before." Logan shuddered at the thought. The Paris Gellar he knew was absolutely bat-shit in normal circumstances, he really didn't want to know what she was like now. He didn't really intend to find out.

"How about I put him in bed, and we'll watch a movie while we eat. You pick." He pointed her towards huge built-in cupboards that were filled with DVD's. He was sure she'd find something to her liking in there. After all, he'd bought every movie they had ever watched together. "No, I'll put him to bed, that way he won't be confused if he wakes up. But the movie sounds fine, you pick." Rory picked up little Logan and headed over to his room. Her breath caught a little when she saw it. She'd never imagined he'd get all of that done in just a few short days. But then again, he was a Huntzberger. As she moved to put her son in his bed, a metallic flash caught her eye. She put Logan down, thank god he was already in his PJ's, and moved over to the shelves that sat in the corner. The metallic flash she saw was a very familiar object. She picked it up and took it with her out of the room.

When she got back in the living-room, Logan was still picking out a movie, with his back to her. "You kept it." She whispered.


	8. Products Of The Past

When Rory woke up she was a little confused. And a lot warm. When she tried to move, she found herself the center of a Logan sandwich. Curled up against her chest was her little boy, his head tucked underneath her chin, his back against her. He was sleeping peacefully. Behind her, there was another Logan and her back was also firmly pressed against his chest, his arm slung over her hips. Her waking mind was a little fuzzy about the 'how' and the 'what', but she started to remember the events of last night.

" _You kept it." She whispered, while holding on to the model rocket she found in little Logan's room. He slowly turned, eyes focusing on hers. "Of course I did. It's… our rocket." A silent tear fell down Rory's cheek and she put up her hand to catch it._

" _Why would it be 'of course'. You left me, standing in the middle of a Yale courtyard, breaking my heart. I waited by the phone for weeks, and after I found out about Logan, I waited again. I figured you'd realize it was urgent and you'd call me. You didn't care anymore. It didn't matter to you._ I _didn't matter." Her tears were now flowing freely, and she was having trouble keeping her voice steady and silent. Logan came up to her, took the rocket and put it on the coffee-table. He then guided Rory down to sit beside him on the couch. "I did care. I cared to much. Walking away was both the hardest and the dumbest thing I've ever done, and I was a selfish, stubborn fool to do it. I knew springing this on you – list girl – was a bad idea. Hell, your mother even told me so. But I went ahead with it anyway. I was so sure of myself, that I forgot who you are. Forgot to calculate your dreams into what marrying me would mean." Logan sighed. "I must have picked up the phone a million times, dialed your number, only to stop one digit short. I figured you'd hate me, and no amount of coffee-carts would fix what I'd broken."_

_He stopped and looked her in the eyes again. "I loved you, and you saying 'no'… it broke me, and I broke us. And all I can do now is try and fix what's left to be fixed." Rory lifted her hand to catch a tear that was now falling down his face. "Look at us, both sitting here, crying over ancient history. But, I want to clarify. I didn't say 'no'. I told you I wanted to wait. To see what the world had in store for Rory Gilmore. To find out who Rory Gilmore, Yale graduate was; before becoming Lorelai Huntzberger. That didn't mean I didn't love you, or that I was turning you down. You had the time to figure out what you wanted to do, start your own company and everything. I just wanted a chance to do the same, with your support."_

_For a moment they were both quiet, thinking back to the words they shared that last day at Yale. "How about now?" Logan asked her. She looked a little confused at him, and he elaborated. "You signed your letters with 'Always'. What does that mean? How do you feel, about me, about us, now?" Rory thought about that for a moment, trying to find the right words to say what she felt, without scaring him off. "I mean every word, of every letter, especially the sendoff. I will always love you, and the wonderful gift you gave me in our son. I wrote you, and I still believe in it with all my heart, that you are the one for me. But I can't go back and pick up where we started. Your different, I'm different. We've got 3 years of change between us. I love the Logan from 3 years ago, but I don't really know the Logan that's in front of me now, so I don't know if I love the now-you."_

_Logan's face fell. Of course they couldn't go back to the way they were before. They weren't college kids anymore. Hell, he was responsible for an entire media conglomerate for god's sake. And he was now learning how to be a dad. And she'd been a foreign correspondent, like she dreamed she would, and she was a mom. But it stung to hear her say that, to have the little bit of hope he had be crushed._

_She could see a flicker of emotions flash on his face. Sorrow, regret, hurt,… but she wasn't done yet. "I don't know if I love the Logan you are now. Media mogul and CEO.. but I'm willing to find out." The way his eyes lit up at that, was more than she could take. She crashed her mouth against his in a searing kiss, and he gladly responded. Until the buzzer went off again, signaling the food arriving._

* * *

They had made last night a sort of second first date. They ate Chinese food and talked. Logan talked about life as the CEO of HPG, something he never wanted to be in his life.

" _It not as bad as I thought. I mean, I'm totally different in handling it from my dad. He was so hands on about everything, never had time for anything besides work, least of all his children. And I've always said I didn't want to be like that. So I made some changes. I now have a VP for all the different media outlets, and we have monthly staff meetings. The major decisions are made by me, but I've got very competent people working for me, to do the smaller day-to-day things. So I'm at the office here in Hartford most of the time, fly to New York or London or wherever when it's needed that I'm there. I still go out with Colin and Finn and I even make time to read every once in a while. I even have 2 free weekends a month, if you'd believe that._

_When I take vacation time, I know my business is taken care of. The urgent things they can e-mail me about, and the rest can wait until I get back. I prefer my vacations to be work-free and that's mostly respected. Only once or twice has it happened that something very dire needed my attention._

_And now that I know about Logan…well, I'm so glad I made the changes. This way I can be flexible, and I can actually see my kid growing up. I can't promise to be there for every single thing, but I'll be there as much as possible."_

Rory in turn told him in great detail their lives in Italy. The trips they went on, the words they learned, the way Logan always asked for a bedtime story about his dad. It was a major reconnecting between the two ex-lovers. Until they heard crying coming from the pirate-room.

"Cucciolo, what's wrong baby?" Rory asked him when she was beside his bed, Logan by her side. "Mommy, it hurts. I can't sleep anymore. I want to stay with you. And with daddy. Can I please stay with you and daddy?" The tears in his eyes were so full of pain she couldn't help but say yes. So they ended up in Logan's bed, Rory in the middle of her 2 boys.

* * *

Waking up like this was amazing. And even though things were not completely right between her and Logan, they had agreed to try. And that meant, they would go out, on a real date in the near future. Rory sighed content, and a smile crept on her face when she heard Logan's voice "Good morning Ace."


	9. The Most Wonderful Fairy Tale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry! You all should really forbid me to write any kind of long!fic. I have the follow through of a goldfish it seems. Don't know how it happens, I just get into a good stretch of ideas and then… I'm the worst, I know… So this chapter, will be the last, but I hope to make it count…
> 
> Also, I should not write about illnesses, because I just got better from the worst case of ear-infection I've ever had (and I've had plenty). My hearing still isn't totally back yet.. so, this might be my punishment for taking so long…
> 
> Rory and Logan (and their crazy family) are very near and dear to me, but it seems like the long-fic stuff just isn't my thing. I will however continue to write one/two-shots and story prompts (if I get any).. Maybe in the future, I'll learn to not post a story until it's actually finished, as to not disappoint you guys.
> 
> Hope you like the endings, it's time-lapsed, so it should round out everything really nicely.
> 
> (also, this story is not beta'd, since I don't actually have a beta (find your application form here-) so any and all mistakes are my own.. and I don't own a single thing about Gilmore Girls.. I do own the DVD's)

Their first real date out again was weird. Neither of them really knew what to say, and the silences stretched on and on and on. The comfort that they'd had that night at his house was replaced by trepidation and worries. Worries because, they weren't kids anymore, and they both had lives they loved. And neither wanted to ask the other to make sacrifices, because that's what had gotten them in this situation in the first place. Logan had broken the silence, his attempt at humor not really understood by Rory at first.

"So, I believe in playing open cards when I go out on a date. I'm a busy man and I'd rather not waste time with somebody who's not on the same page as me." Rory's mouth dropped at that statement, feeling like Logan was all of a sudden talking to a stranger, instead of his ex-girlfriend of three years and the mother of his son. But he wasn't finished yet. "So, this being our _first_ date", he emphasized the 'first' as a hint to Rory to just play along, "I'd like to just state my expectations for the future."

Rory had no idea what Logan was playing at, but for the sake of their previous relationship and their son, she played along. "So, I've got a son. He's almost 3 years old and he's a complete genius. I'd love to say he's got that from me, but it's his mother he got that brilliance from. I own a very big company, and it is custom in my family that the woman don't work." Rory tried to speak up at that statement, but was once again stopped by Logan, who continued. "I however, am not my family, and frankly I could care less about what they consider _proper_ , least of all my mother. I'm looking for a partner. My equal both at home and at work. I don't want my son to be an only child, so I'd like to have at least one more kid in the future. But above all, I'm looking for the love of my life. Somebody to spend my time with, to share my life, wake up next to every day."

He looked deep into Rory's eyes when he said that, and was rewarded by a blinding smile. She was speechless for once, something not often seen in a Gilmore Girl.

The date went very well after that

xxx

"Where should we put these?" Luke's voice was a little muffled by the boxes he was carrying through the front door. Rory smiled at the sight in front of her. Luke was carrying in at least 3 huge boxes, stacked on top of each other, while her mother strolled in, with just a blanket in her hands. "Just put them down anywhere Luke, we'll sort them out later. She thought she heard Luke grumble something about chaotic Gilmores and labeling boxes, but was a little busy being wrapped up in her mother's arms.

"Oh honey, I'm so glad you decided not to live in that soul-sucking penthouse." Lorelai mock shivered to emphasize her disgust about the penthouse. "Admit it, living so close to your favorite mother is way better than all the way in Hartford. Consider this, would you rather have me visiting daily, or your grandmother?" Rory pretended to think about that. "Hmm, my grandmother is controlling and sometimes a little condescending. On the other hand, my mother is certifiably crazy." Rory tapped the corner of her mouth with her indexfinger. "Well, at least grandma has hired help." She quickly said, before ducking out of her mother's way. "Oh, well if that's how you feel, I'll just take my man-muscle and be on my merry way." They both started laughing, because right at that moment, Luke walked back into the hallway. " _Lorelai!_ " he said exhasperated. "Man-muscle? Really?" Lorelai just shrugged and blew him a kiss, while he stomped out of the house to get some more boxes.

"Oh god, I'm already loving being back in Stars Hollow. This particular brand of crazy just isn't available anywhere else." Logan said while they walked across the square together. There were tents set up everywhere, selling all things 'Rory', as a real welcome home. In the gazebo Hep Alien was setting up their equipment for the concert. Rory slid her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yes, very crazy. But also, home." She said with a smile, and all Logan could do was smile with her. Their _home_.

xxx

"Ethan, why don't you give that back to Logan now, be a good boy." Lorelai said to her son, who was absolutely refusing to part with the sparkly packaged box he was holding. "In a few months, you'll be the one getting all the presents. But today it's Logan's birthday, so he gets to open up the presents." Reluctantly Ethan handed over the box to Logan, and stomped off in the direction of the bouncy house in the yard.  
Logan ripped open the present and immediately put the newly acquired Lego pirate ship with all of his other 'loot'. Her than ran off after Ethan, wanting to play with his 'uncle'.

"You did a great job with this party kid." Her mother said as she looked out into the yard. There was a face-paint section, with several kids waiting patiently. And a not so patiently waiting Kirk. There was a giant bouncy house, pirate themed of course. On the other side of the yard there was an actual pirate telling some stories to the kids, and later there would be a treasure hunt, complete with 'X marks the spot'. They'd had to file a written request to Taylor in order to be allowed to draw the 'X', even if it was just with chalk. That man just got more infuriating every day.

"Well," Rory replied, "It's not being raided by the cops, but then again, he's only 3 so we still have some time to dial up the epic." They both laughed at the memory.

Later, when all the kids and parents and townspeople had gone home, Logan turned to Rory with disbelief on his face. "Did cops actually raid one of your birthday parties?" Rory laughed. "Yes, arrested the clown too. Good times, good times…"

xxx

"So, let me get this straight. This is not because we are living together?" Rory looked down at the paper she was holding, a print-preview of the paper that was to go out to the printer that night. "No Ace, based on your work, the Yale daily news, the pieces in Italy, what you've been freelancing recently. They voted. I wasn't even allowed anywhere near the conference room when they did. You were the most qualified applicant and they went with that."

Rory looked back down at the paper. "So, if I don't take the job, will there be a huge hole in tomorrow's paper?" Logan sighed and picked up a second print. "Well, just in case, we decided to have a backup piece." She expectantly held out her hand, and Logan put the paper in it.

NEW YORK TIMES IN DISARRAY, GILMORE SAYS NO TO EDITOR POSITION

And as byline: Logan Huntzberger. Rory shook her head, picked up the other print and studied them both. After about a minute she gave one back to Logan, and dropped the other in the trashcan beside his desk.

The next day, she gets a call from her mother, being very excited. "Lorelai Leigh Gilmore! Why didn't you say something?" And even before Rory got a chance to say something, her mother started reading the story to her, out loud.

"The New York Times, still mourning the loss of their previous Editor-In-Chief has new hope, as the young and ambitious Lorelai Leigh Gilmore takes up his mantle in order to steer the Times into the 21th century…."

xxx

"Logan?! Logan, are you home?" Rory yelled at the front door, trying to carry in several large packages and one smaller one. She saw his head popping out of his office, Bluetooth earpiece in his ear. "John, I'm going to have to call you back in a minute. It looks like Rory bought out another book store." He laughed at something the other man said, and hung up.

"What in the world is all of this Ace? And more importantly, why are you trying to carry this? Don't you know by now that your level of incoordination doesn't allow for you to carry heavy objects?" All that got him was a frown. "C'mon, let me at least take some of that off your hands." Rory let Logan take the boxes but held onto the small package herself.

"Where do I put this stuff?" he asked, not knowing what was in the boxes. Rory pretended to ponder this for a minute, and said "Just put them in the spare bedroom next to our room, I'll sort it out later." She said as she walked down the hall ahead of him. "Is Logan in his playroom?" The grunt she heard coming from behind her sounded like a 'yes' so she headed that way. Logan just looked at her as she walked in their son's playroom, before heading up the stairs to the bedroom.

"Hi Cucciolo, whatsha doing?" She asked little Logan, while sitting down beside him on the floor. She had to mind where she sat, because the floor was littered with books and Lego pieces. "Mommy!" the little boy yelled, and he flew into her outstretched arms. "I'm playing pirate ship with my Lego's. The Lego's are the good pirates, and the books are the bad ones."

Rory smiled at her son's imagination. Logan then spotted the small box his mom was holding. "Oh Mommy, did you get me a present?" he asked excitedly. Rory just smiled at him.

 

"Daddy!" little Logan yelled when he ran into his parents' office. Logan was sitting at his desk, typing away at his computer. Rory came in behind the little boy, and sat down on the edge of her own desk, which was facing Logan's.

"Look what mommy got me! It's a new shirt!." He jumped up and down in excitement. "Wow buddy, that's a very nice looking blue shirt. Your mommy sure knows how to pick out clothes. But, I think you're wearing it backwards." Logan stopped jumping and looked down. A little frown appeared on his forehead, and then he turned to his mom. At the same time as the boy said "mommy, you put on my shirt backwards.", his dad let out a gasp.

His eyes flew over the back – or actually the front of the shirt – and then up to Rory's. They shone with love and wonder and happiness. "Really?" he asked, a little uncertainty in his voice. Rory just smiled and wiped away a tear. He flew across the room to where she was sitting and nearly crushed her in a hug.

She turned to their son and said, "Oh I'm sorry cucciolo, I must have been a little distracted. Come here, I'll turn it around for you." She ducked down and pulled his arms out of the shirt, turned it around and slid his arms back in. "There you go, much better."

She looked at her son, smiling proudly. The shirt read: 'Badass Big Brother'

xxx

"Oh, my god!" Rory gripped the table she was sitting at so tightly, her knuckles turned white. The entire staff looked up at her in worry. "Ooooh – Okay. I think I need to go to the hospital. You!" she pointed to one of the features writers, "you call Logan. Tell him to come to the hospital, it's go time!" The journalist looked absolutely terrified. The thought alone that he would have to call his Boss (Capital B) to tell him to meet his girlfriend (partner? Wife-ish?) at the hospital was not a pleasant prospect.

"Where's my go bag? I could have sworn I had a go bag somewhere around here. Oh damn this pregnancy brain." She muttered, more to herself than the people around her. Somebody, Alice probably, took her arm and murmured in her ear. "The bag is in the car, you asked Michael to put it there yesterday. You said you'd probably forget it otherwise." Rory blinked, happy to have a moment of reprieve in between contractions. "Oh, right. Let's go. Get me to the hospital!" She started hobbling towards the door. Once she passed it, she stopped and yelled over her shoulder, "and somebody call my mother!"

 

"She's beautiful. Looks just like her Nonna, don't you think?" Lorelai cooed to the little girl in her arms. Beside her Luke was rolling his eyes, and Rory let out a tired but slightly indignant snort. "It's a good thing you look like me too, or people might mistake her for my daughter instead of yours." Lorelai flashed her teeth at her daughter in a wide smile, and then returned to mumble nonsensical words to the baby she was holding.

"So, what are you going to name her?" Luke asked while he was looking over his wife's shoulder with soft eyes. Logan and Rory looked at each other. They never got around to agreeing on a name, both of them constantly vetoing each other's suggestions. Logan scratched his head. "Well, to be honest, we're not completely on the same page about that yet. Although we did agree on her middle name." Lorelai looked up at his words. "No name yet? Ouch kid, not of to a very good start are we. It's a good thing you're pretty, miss No-Name. So, No-Name Middle name Huntzberger?" She chuckled.

"More like, No-Name Lane Gilmore-Huntzberger." Rory answered her mother. Lorelai pondered that for a while. "Well, at least she could go by her middle name. Lane is much prettier than No-Name."

"Mommy, are you really going to name my little sister 'no-name'? Because I don't like that." Little Logan spoke. He was sitting beside Rory on the hospital bed, looking at his baby sister up in his Nonna's arms. "Oh no cucciolo. Mommy and daddy just haven't decided yet, and Nonna is just making a little joke." The boy's eyes went from his mother to his grandmother, who was smiling innocently, then back to his mom again.

"Mommy, if my name is daddies, why can't my little sister have your name?" he asked, and the room went quiet instantly. Rory and Logan looked at each other, a silent conversation going on between them. "Lorelai Lane Gilmore-Huntzberger IV. Quite the mouthful, but it could work. What do you say Ace? Want to unleash another Lorelai on this world?" Logan smiled at her, and she nodded. After all, like her mother once said, if men can name their children after themselves, why couldn't woman?

xxx

"Logan, you need to call her. She wants to see her granddaughter. If not for you, please do it for Laila. Why keep her from her grandmother?" The line was a little static-y, with Honor Bluetooth calling him from in her car. "Besides, she's driving me absolutely crazy. Calling me 15 times a day to see if I stopped by already, wanting a picture of Laila. Just give her something, so she'll back off me."

"Good afternoon Mr. Huntzberger. Your mother is in the sitting room, was she expecting you?" The maid took his coat and ushered him further into the house. "No Marie, she's not. And I won't be staying long, so there's no need to hang my coat."

Logan marched into the sitting room and spotted his mother in one of the sofa's reading a gossip magazine and smoking. Now that she was alone in the house, there was nobody to comment on the smoking indoors, so she didn't even bother to go to the patio anymore. He also noticed the house staff was severely downsized. As far as he could see, Marie was the only one around. It made sense to him, since she didn't have 'that much' to spend anymore. Didn't seem like she let her financial situation get in the way of her 'spa-treatments' (or the plastic surgeon).

"Mother." Logan said curtly, standing across from her. She startled up straight, and put the cigarette out in the ashtray. "Logan! Oh son, I'm so glad you decided to come around. Did you bring your little girl? Can I see her? I've told all my friends all about her already. But what a horrendous name you gave her. What's wrong with one of the fine Huntzberger names?"

Logan balled his fists, in an attempt to keep his anger in check. It didn't work. "No Mother. I didn't bring my daughter today. And I won't ever bring her over here. In fact, this will probably be the last time I'll ever set foot in this house again. I just came to set some things straight, and then I'll be on my way." He took a breath before continuing, willing his voice to keep its edge. "First off, you stop calling Honor about this. She's not your messenger, and she won't change my mind about you. So just leave her the hell alone. Secondly, and I can't stress this enough, you stop gushing to every single Hartford gold-digger about her. You don't get to talk about how proud you are of her and what a lovely baby she is. Not after the way you treated her mother and my _son_. Or did you forget about him mother. How much of your pride is directed to my son as well?" Logan made an attempt to keep his voice down, but put little effort in it. His mother needed a good yelling to. "And lastly, Her name is Lorelai. After her mother. And her grandmother. And her great-great-grandmother. It's a name she can be proud of. Because Lorelai fought for everything she has, and so did Rory. And they did it all without the money that you're so dependent of. Well, at least my son and daughter have one grandmother to look up to."

With that said, Logan turned around and stalked towards Marie, who was standing near the doorway with his coat and a terrified look on her face. His anger dissipated at the sight of her. She'd been in the house for as long as he could remember, was more of a mother to him than Shira ever was. "Marie, you're always welcome to visit us, don't forget that." He whispered to her, as to not get her in trouble with his mother. His mother who was yelling and begging him to come back, to talk to her. But nowhere in her pleading did he hear an apology.

 

A few days later there was an unmarked envelope between the mail. In it, there were 2 pictures. One was of a little boy, holding a baby, sitting on a hospital bed. The boy looked so proud and happy, because he had a baby sister and probably a little bit because he was allowed to hold her all on his own. The second one was one of Logan and Rory, Logan holding the baby and Rory with their son in her arms. They looked happy and in love; the perfect little family.

Both pictures ended up on her dresser, standing alongside the other pictures she had. Of Logan, Honor and all her other grandchildren. Sheila Huntzberger did have a heart, it was just a little more difficult to find.

xxx

"Do you think she'd agree this time?" the uncertainty in his voice drained all the humor out of Lorelai's face. "Oh Logan, honey. She never disagreed before. She just asked you for a little time to find out who she was, what she was going to do professionally. It was never about broadening her horizon _romantically_. And now, she knows who she is. She's the Editor-In-Chief of the New York Times, writes a weekly column about the goings on around her and she's the mother of two wonderful children. The one thing that hasn't changed since the last time you asked, is how much she loves you."

There was no crowd this time. Just the two of them, sitting together on the sofa, watching some TV together. The kids were upstairs, sleeping soundly. "Hey Ace, could you pass me the popcorn please? And, also, will you marry me?" Rory's hand, which was already halfway over to the popcorn bowl, froze. She turned her big blue eyes on Logan, to find him holding a beautiful ring. Her eyes drifted between his and the ring before a smile spread across her face. Rory forgot about the bowl and threw her arms around Logan, kissing him everywhere she could. He unwrapped himself a fraction of a second, to put the ring on her finger, before he lost himself in his _fiancé_.

Neither of them really noticed, she didn't actually _say_ 'yes'.

xxx

Even though Christopher was at the wedding, with Gigi, Rory asked Luke to walk her down the aisle. She'd thought long and hard over the decision but in the end, it was a no-brainer. Luke had always been there for her, coming to her caterpillar's funeral, moving her stuff all over Connecticut. He was a constant in her life, and while he wasn't always formally her step-father, he always was like dad to her.

Things between Rory and Chris weren't ideal anymore either. When Rory had Logan, a lot of resentment had bubbled up towards her father, for missing most of her childhood. Things she'd repressed for so long, but now her son was in a similar situation, she just couldn't ignore it anymore. And, with age comes some wisdom as well, which is why she saw more and more flaws in her father she didn't see before. She saw him doing better with Gigi though, and hoped he'd keep it up.

The wedding was very _them_ , not a big thing, just friends and family and crazy townspeople. Her mother was her matron of honor, and Honor and Lane were her bridesmaids. Logan had – of course – picked Finn and Colin to be his best men (he couldn't choose between them). Little Logan was the ring bearer and Martha was a flower girl.

There only reporters present were the work friends they'd invited, but them being _Huntzbergers_ , the spotlights were never far behind

xxx

HUNTZBERGER AND GILMORE FINALLY TIE THE KNOT, SMALL WEDDING FOR BIG TIME COUPLE

NEW YORK TIMES WINS 2nd PULITZER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

HUNTZBERGER-GILMORE TABLE FOR 5, MEGHAN HONOR GILMORE-HUNTZBERGER HAS ARRIVED

LORELAI LANE GILMORE-HUNTZBERGER ARRESTED FOR DUY AT 15, BAD FAMILY GENES?

LOGAN RICHARD GILMORE-HUNTSBERGER GRADUATED CHILTON WITH HONORS, PUBLISHING HEIR ON TO YALE

LORELAI LANE HUNTZBERGER & MICHAEL TRISTAN DUGREY, THE REAL DEAL?

LOGAN RICHARD HUNTZBERGER SILENTLY WEDS CHRISTY MADELINE McCRAE IN BEACHFRONT WEDDING

MEGHAN HONOR HUNTZBERGER WINS PULITZER AT 25 FOR AFGHAN ORPHAN STORIES

HUNTZBERGER PROUDLY ANOUNCES RETIREMENT, SON TO TAKE THE CHAIR OF HPG

FIRST GRANDCHILD FOR EX-HPG PRESIDENT LOGAN HUNTZBERGER AND HIS WIFE, NEW HEIR TO THE THRONE?

LORELAI LANE HUNTZBERGER HAS TWINS, TWICE THE FUN OR TWICE THE TROUBLE?

MEGHAN HONOR HUNTZBERGER MARRIED TO NYT FOREIGN CORRESPONDANT, INTIMITE WEDDING ABROAD

"OUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS ARE OUR WHOLE WORLD" INTERVIEW WITH LOGAN AND RORY HUNTZBERGER ABOUT LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT

70TH BIRTHDAY PARTY AT THE HUNTZBERGER MANSION, WHO WILL PARTY THE HARDEST?

100Th ANIVERSARY OF HPG BRINGS OUT THE WHOLE CLAN TO CELEBRATE, WHO'D HAVE THOUGHT THAT THIS MAY HUNTZBERGERS TOGETHER WOULD BE A GOOD THING?

LOGAN ELIAS HUNTZBERGER PASSED AT 88  
He leaves behind his wife Lorelai Leigh Gilmore-Huntzberger, 87 ; 3 children, 7 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. He will be missed by all.

LORELEI LEIGH GILMORE-HUNTZBERGER PASSED AT 90  
She lived a good life, but the loss of her husband Logan Elias Huntzberger weighed heavy on her heart. She leaves behind her 3 children, 7 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Let us hope she finds her heart again, and she will remain forever in ours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys somewhat like the ending... If any of you would like a side story to this, maybe about the kids (or something) you can prompt me in the comments or PM me.
> 
> Like I said, I love this OTP, but long!fic clearly isn't my strong suit (i'm way to lazy for it)... but one and two-shots are totally withing my possibilities :)... so please, bring me plot bunnies ;)


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